Feb. 21, 2022

Three brothers whose business interests include a large John Deere dealership network are making a major investment in downtown Sioux Falls.

C&B Operations LLC is leasing the top two floors of the nine-story office building that’s under construction in The Steel District, adjacent to Falls Park West.

The company is owned by the Burwell family.

“We’re super excited and honored to be part of it,” CEO Peter Burwell said in a statement. “We’re planning to grow, and we want to grow in South Dakota and in Sioux Falls.”

Burwell, wife Ashley and his brothers, Blake and Michael, moved from the Twin Cities to Sioux Falls last year. They’ve already leased office space in the CNA Surety Building downtown as they wait for their larger office to be done.

“We already have team members starting to call Sioux Falls home,” Burwell said. “And we want to be where our team is. That’s a big part of being a family business, and Sioux Falls also is centrally located to many of our stores.”

C&B Operations was founded in 1988 in Gettysburg when the Burwells’ father, Rod, and Dan Cronin purchased the local John Deere dealership to support the community after the owner suddenly died.

The company has grown to include dozens of John Deere dealerships in eight states. Last year, it expanded into a material handling and powersports division with eight material handling locations in Iowa, Louisiana and Alabama and one powersports location in Okoboji, Iowa.

The Sioux Falls office will serve as a base for the company’s growing field support team, in addition to a place for leaders to collaborate, Burwell said.

“These are sophisticated jobs,” he said. “It’s accounting and finance functions, senior leadership positions; a customer support center and a precision ag and technology group will be based out of there, so it’s literally anything that supports the field.”

The downtown location will help the company grow with top talent, he said.

“In today’s competitive work environment, having a nice office space is impactful. People are working from home, and we want to give them a reason to come into the office,” Burwell said.

The Burwell family and C&B will be a leader in that regard, Kristen Zueger, who brokered the deal for Lloyd Cos., said in a statement.

“I think they’re a perfect fit for The Steel District. They’re still in the initial design of their space, but the thought that they’re putting into it is so creative and different from anything I’ve seen in Sioux Falls. It’s exceptional and unique, which is also what The Steel District is to downtown. They’re going to be leaders in the building,” she said.

“They’ve lived and worked in Minneapolis and have ideas we haven’t seen yet. And they’re young professionals who are going to bring an energy here that’s really fun. From what I’ve observed, their culture is incredible. They’re extremely collaborative, every person I have met is happy in their role, and it’s evident in every interaction we have with them.”

The Burwells also have moved their parent company and family office to Sioux Falls. Their broader business portfolio includes everything from manufacturing to hospitality.

Lloyd Cos. said the lease is significant for The Steel District, which is experiencing “strong momentum for all aspects of the development.”

Lloyd is leasing the fifth and sixth floors of the building, leaving three, four and seven available, plus potentially a spot on the second floor for a more public-facing office or service provider. Each floor is about 19,000 square feet.

Adding C&B Operations is “huge for the project,” said Luke Jessen, Lloyd’s vice president of development. “We were moving full steam ahead, but their energy behind the project and their expansion into South Dakota is a huge win.”

Lloyd is in various stages of negotiating leases, with strong momentum to continue to fill the building, he said.

“We have numerous proposals out right now and are in the final stages of negotiation with a lot of smaller tenants – 5,000 to 8,000 square feet – with anything and everything,” Jessen said. “Law firms, trust companies, financial services, we have banks interested in a unique downtown branch, advertising firms, just a wide range, which I think is very encouraging for the overall office market.”

The first floor of that building will contain three restaurant concepts from well-known Twin Cities operator Josh Thoma, including Burger Dive, a Mexican-inspired restaurant and a seafood-inspired one.

Tenants are expected to begin moving in throughout 2023.

The Steel District also includes a Canopy by Hilton hotel and 18 condominiums, along with 95 apartments in it first phase.

Construction has started on the office building and parking ramp, and the hotel is going through city permitting.